The Mirror Guidance
"There is a Russian proverb that says: 'Don’t blame the mirror if your face is awry.' The reflection in the mirror is our own. But some people get angry with the mirror!
"In the same way, our happiness or unhappiness is entirely a reflection of the positive and negative causes accumulated in our lives. We cannot blame others for our misfortunes. This is even more so in the realm of faith.
"There is a Japanese folk tale about a small village where no one had a mirror. In those days, mirrors were priceless. A man, returning from a trip to the capital, handed his wife a mirror as a souvenir. It was the first time for her to see one. Looking into the mirror, she exclaimed:
'Who on earth is this woman? You must’ve brought a girl back with you from the capital!’ And so a big fight ensued.
"Though this is an amusing anecdote, many people become angry or distraught over phenomena that are actually nothing but a reflection of their own lives—their state of mind and the causes that they have created. Like the wife in the story who exclaims, ‘Who on earth is this woman?' they do not realise their own folly.”
President Ikeda
Source: Excerpt - The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 1: Happiness, 2.2 Buddhahood Is the Sun within Us
"It is senseless to blame others of your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within our own life."
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